Telechelic polymers are polymers that contain one or more functional groups at the end of the polymer. These functional groups are reactive to other molecules, thereby allowing derivatization of the polymer at its chain ends. Telechelic polymers serve as useful intermediates for the preparation of a diverse range of desirable polymeric products, including high performance polymers such as, but not limited to, fuel or lube oil additives, network polymers, star-branched polymers, and block co-polymers.
Polymers that are multifunctional, i.e., have more than one functional group, can serve as starting materials and intermediates for complex cross-linked networks of polymers, from which high performance dispersants can be derived.
In general, the known methods of synthesizing telechelic polymers rely on post-polymerization functionalization techniques. For example, a monomer is first polymerized to form an initial polymer product. To form the telechelic polymer, this initial polymer product must be subjected to a subsequent post-polymerization reaction to install the reactive functional group. Such methods are inefficient and costly.
The known methods of synthesizing multifunctional polymers are also inefficient and costly, and often require the use of initiators that are prohibitively expensive to purchase and/or laborious and expensive to synthesize.
Thus, there is a need for efficient, direct and less costly synthetic processes for synthesizing telechelic polymers, such as those that are multifunctional.